“Perfect.” Leo’s voice was dry. He stood and slipped his hands into his pockets. “Let’s go.”
Owl was still looking at Steve, thinking about the letter. “You didn’t mention natural resources … you know, the limited natural resources and how the wasteful habits of overindulgent people are leading to a critical reduction in natural resources whenever – “
“Shut up.” Leo walked over to Owl and leaned in close. His breath reeked of stale onions and fresh Diet Coke. He turned to Steve. “The letter’s fine. We’re out of here.”
Owl didn’t dare say anything else. After the whole Danny thing, he sort of hoped the guys would kick him out. He wasn’t sure how else he could break ties with them now — when he knew so much. His hands shook as he headed for the door. Both Steven and Leo smelled a rat after the meeting with Danny — never mind that the guy said the right things. Leo even thought he might be a cop, of all things. Then there were those detectives sniffing around after the last fire. Owl shuddered and grabbed his bag. If he’d let a cop in on their activities, the guys would kill him and toss his body over a canyon somewhere. Leo, for sure, wouldn’t have hesitated to take him out.
“Got everything?” Steve drilled a look at him. They’d been over this a number of times. It wasn’t like this was the first fire they’d ever set. But it would definitely be the biggest. Especially with the winds like they were tonight.
Owl definitely wanted to throw up. He thought a moment. The kerosene was in the trunk. He had a dozen rags, six oversized barbecue lighters, and a map of the fire roads around the Oak Canyon Estates — in case they couldn’t exit by the gravel road. He nodded at Steve. “Got it.”
“What about the gun?” Steve looked at Leo.
“Do you have to ask?” Leo rolled his eyes. “I’ve got two. Now come on. A couple of our other guys are starting fires tonight. We want to be first.”
Owl’s teeth began to chatter. He clenched his jaw and made his way to the car before the others. In the beginning he agreed with everything the REA stood for. But now … now they seemed a million miles from their goals of protecting the environment. Like the whole setting fires thing had become an obsession, not a means to an end. Owl took a spot in the backseat. Steve had traded in the green Honda after it was spotted at the last job. Police never got a read on his license plate, so there were no red flags when he made the trade. And with Steve’s tech salary, he could afford to trade his car whenever he wanted. Now Steve had a Toyota Prius, a hybrid that could go from city to city on fumes. Owl settled in and tried to calm his pounding heart.
Maybe once they got up there he could take off on foot over the hill and down the canyon, find a footpath or some other way out. After all, he was the firesetter tonight. Steve and Leo would help place the kerosene rags and make sure they’d get the most destruction in the least amount of time on site. But he — Owl — would light the flame.
He wondered what his friends in college would think of him now? Save the earth … stop global warming … back then their ideals had been so altruistic, so crucial to the survival of the planet.
But now …
Up in the front seat Leo was barking orders to Steve, who was behind the wheel, sweat glistening off his smooth head. “Turn off your lights twenty yards before the road turns up to the estates. You remember the place, right?”
“Of course.”
“Yeah, but don’t forget about the lights.”
Owl had heard about Steve and Leo’s visit here, how they’d pretended to be a couple of brothers and businessmen on their lunch breaks. Got the whole tour and everything. Now they knew exactly where they wanted to start the fires.
“We’re almost there.” Leo couldn’t sit still. He looked at his watch. “Timing’s perfect.”
“The wind too.”
Five minutes later, the two of them were still talking about the perfect conditions when they approached the gravel road. The main street was empty at this hour, so Steve slowed down and turned off his headlights.
“Don’t miss the turn. Take it slow. We don’t need any two-bit security guard hearing us at this point.” Leo hissed the words. They were only half a minute up the dark hill when he let out a sharp, “Hey! What’s that?”
“Looks like a guard station.” Steve hovered over the steering wheel and peered into the windy black night. “When did they put up a guard station?”
“Doesn’t matter.” Leo pulled his gun from his pocket and cocked the trigger. “Looks like a barrier’s blocking the way on both sides.”
Owl’s heart raced. They weren’t going to shoot someone, were they? He grabbed hold of the door handle. Maybe he could jump out when the car slowed down. Jump and run for it, because Steve and Leo were crazy if they were willing to shoot a security guard.
“What’ya want me to say?” Steve slowed the vehicle.
“Don’t say anything! Drive straight through it.”
“He’ll call the police.” Frustration laced Steve’s voice. “We’ll be arrested before we light the first fire.”
“You drive. I’ll take care of it.”
Owl’s heart beat harder, faster. They never should’ve brought a gun. He bit at the cuticle on his thumb and waited, looking for his chance. If Leo shot someone, they could all go to prison for a very long time. He sank back in his seat, his eyes wide.
“There’s a guard.” Steve wasn’t slowing down. “You still want me to drive through the barrier?”
“Do it. Gun it!”
Steve did as he was told, pushing the hybrid as best he could. Just as they were about to drive through the gate, the guard stepped out to stop them. Steve almost hit him, but at the last second he swerved and took out the bar instead. The guard had a gun, but before he could fire it, Leo leaned across Steve and clicked off three quick shots.
In the craziness of the moment, Owl forgot to jump. He sat in the back, slack-jawed and stunned. What had just happened? He didn’t want to turn around and look, but he had no choice. He had to know if the bullets had hit their mark.
Up front Steve was shouting, “What’d you do that for? Did you hit him?”
“Who cares?” Leo pointed the gun straight ahead. “Let’s get this thing burning.”
That’s when Owl turned, just a quick look over his left shoulder. The road ahead was curving, but in the shadowy light from the guard station he saw a body lying facedown on the ground. Owl felt his heart skip a few beats and then slip into a wild and crazy rhythm. Leo was insane. There was nothing in the REA guidelines that said anything about killing people. Civil disobedience, yes. Arson and vandalism, yes. But murder? His upper lip began to twitch, and he looked at the bag of rags and lighters on the floorboard.
They were going to get caught. He could feel it.
Holly hadn’t worked this late in a month, but there had been a burst of activity lately. Mortgage rates had fallen, and more people must’ve felt confident about the economy. Whatever the reason, she had a mountain of paperwork ahead of her and back-to-back meetings tomorrow. Better to get the extra work done on a Thursday night than let it spill into the weekend. She narrowed her eyes and fought back a yawn. Ron had offered to stay and help, to take care of his own paperwork here with her.
But then his father had experienced chest pains — something that had happened twice in the last week. Ron decided it was better to take him to the emergency room and have him checked. Just in case it was something serious. Dave was worried sick about the threat of arson, and the people who might get hurt if a blaze was set.
Holly didn’t blame him, but she figured if the members of the REA were going to hit Oak Canyon Estates they would’ve done so already. The group had certainly had its chances. For two weeks straight, Holly had avoided working here alone, but with the guard in place, she felt safer than ever before. Tonight — even with the wind — the development felt like an oasis above the Valley floor — safe and serene. The wind howled outside, rattling the windows and beating against the walls, but th
e forecast was for the winds to die down before morning.
Holly focused on her paperwork. The music playing from her iPod speakers was a country list, and Holly sang along to something by Carrie Underwood. The lyrics reminded her that things weren’t going well with Ron. He’d cooled his advances toward her, and she hadn’t really minded.
Her mother thought the two of them were being ridiculous. “It’s like I told you, Holly. You have to work at love. That means two busy people need to take time from their schedules to date and talk and be together.”
Holly still hadn’t been able to explain to her mother that a person could only work so hard to find sparks. If they weren’t there, they weren’t –
Suddenly, from somewhere nearby came three loud, sharp pops — like the sound of gunfire. Holly turned down the music and sat perfectly still. She wasn’t sure, but it sounded like a car was coming up the road. She glanced at the clock near the top of the computer screen. Two thirty-five. Who would be coming up the road at this hour, and what were those noises?
She picked up her radio, the one that connected her to the guard at the gate. She pressed down the speaker button. “Michael, come in … this is Holly in the office, come in.”
Static sounded on the other end, but nothing else.
“Michael, this is Holly. I heard something, and I need to know what it was.” Fear raised the pitch of her voice and she fought back a wave of panic. “Come in, please.”
Again there was no answer, but just then she definitely heard the sound of a car. Much closer than before. She stood quickly, rushed to the other side of the office, and flipped off the light switch. Whoever it was, she didn’t want them to see her in here alone. The rest of the lights in the house were already off. Without wasting a single second, she hurried across the dark office to the phone and snatched the receiver. Her eyes still glued to the top of the gravel road, she dialed 9-1-1.
In a frantic voice, she told the operator who she was, where she worked, and that she was up at the model house in Oak Canyon Estates by herself. “I think I heard gunshots, and now someone’s driving up the private road. It sounds like they’re coming very fast.”
The operator promised to dispatch a deputy. “Stay put, and call back if anything else happens.”
As soon as Holly hung up, the car came into view. It peeled up the hill and onto the paved street. Without hesitating, the car made a sharp right turn and sped toward the far end of the street.
Holly’s heart was pounding, and her mouth was dry. She hadn’t been able to make out the model or color of the car, let alone a license plate. But what could the people in the car be up to? And why wasn’t Michael answering at the gate? Michael should’ve stopped them, and if he’d run into trouble, he should’ve called 9-1-1. So what was happening? A gust of wind blew against the house. Were the threats coming to fruition? Were the people in the car about to set fire to the development?
She dialed 9-1-1 again, and this time she spoke in a terrified whisper. “Someone’s come up the hill, driving very fast. I can’t reach the guard station. I think something very bad is about to happen.”
Not until after she hung up did she smell something strange wafting in through the one open window. It wasn’t a construction smell — roofing tar or paint or carpet. Rather, this was a smell that paralyzed her with fear.
It was the smell of kerosene.
TWENTY-FOUR
Linda Brady couldn’t sleep. Yesterday around this time, Alex had called her to apologize. The best she could make of his call was that God had been working on his heart. He didn’t mention the Lord or what had driven him to call her number in the wee hours of the morning, but in his voice she heard a remorse that hadn’t been there since before the terrorist attacks.
God must be answering her prayers.
Now she should’ve been sound asleep. Alex hadn’t called again, and no real reason remained for her to be up alone, wandering through the living room looking at old photographs. Her husband Lee was asleep in their bedroom, and already her restlessness had woken him once. He was concerned for her, aware of the situation with Alex, the way that only now – after seven years – he was finally showing signs of returning to the young man he’d once been.
“Everything okay?” he’d asked her an hour ago. He sat up in bed, half awake, his forehead creased with worry.
“Fine.” She smiled at him, grateful for him. “I can’t sleep. I’ll be out in the living room.”
Since then she’d read the Bible and straightened the office. The sun would be up soon, but still she couldn’t sleep. She looked over the framed pictures that sat on various shelves and hung on the wall in the living room — photos that reminded her of the old days, pictures that kept her company when Lee was at work and she wanted to reminisce.
Alex as an eight-year-old at work with Ben, both of them wearing the FDNY helmets and sitting in the front seat of a fire truck. A family portrait of the three of them when Alex was fifteen. Ben and Alex fishing in the Adirondacks when he was three years old, and another one when Alex was a high school sophomore. Lee didn’t mind the photos. He had a past too, a wife who’d been killed in a car accident the summer after the terrorist attacks. Photos were an important part of the healing process, he’d told her.
So the pictures remained.
Linda moved to the window and looked out over Central Park. Their apartment was on the twenty-first floor, and contained an unbelievable view. Lee bought the place the year before they were married, and it suited both of them. She exhaled and her breath left a circle of condensation on the window.
What was it? Why couldn’t she get Alex out of her mind? She watched a single cab make its way down Park Avenue and turn at the first light. Maybe it was his apology from yesterday, a strange and joyful piece still trying to fit in the puzzle of her heart. Hearing him yesterday was like getting a trip back to September 10, when Alex was a happy, carefree teenager whose greatest worry was whether he’d passed his chemistry test. Maybe that was it. The way he’d sounded yesterday had given her hope that she might actually get him back, that he could finally let go of the hurt and pain, the desire to make everything right for his father’s sake. Maybe he was about to do what he hadn’t done since the Twin Towers came down.
Learn to love again.
She lifted her eyes to the full moon hanging just over the park. If he was close to tearing those walls down, then no wonder God had her walking the quiet apartment tonight. She needed to pray. With that she fell into a familiar routine, asking God for her son’s emotional healing and for his physical protection. Keep him safe, God … his job is so dangerous that any day … any day could be his last. So guard him, protect him because he seems closer than ever to finding his way back. Keep knocking on his heart so that soon — maybe even tonight — he might turn and trust You again. Please, Lord …
A verse filled her heart and soul as soon as she finished that part of her prayer. Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it. It was a promise, one Linda had thought about often in the years since 9/11. But here, in the sacred moment of deep conversation with God, the words almost seemed like an answer. She and Ben had done what God asked of them to the best of their ability. They had trained him up in the way he should go. Now she would pray all night that the rest of the promise would come true, that Alex might return to those ways.
Now, before it was too late.
The call came in just before three in the morning, and Jamie opened her eyes in time to see Clay swing his legs out of bed and snap open his phone. She sat partway up, giving her eyes time to focus. The wind whipped against the house outside, and Jamie felt a chill run down her arms.
Clay listened intently to the caller for a few seconds and then flicked on the light next to his side of the bed. “I know the place. Are the hills burning yet?” He waited a beat. “Okay. I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
Jamie didn’t need Clay to tell her what had happened. He wa
s on call for this very reason — in case there was another fire. The department hadn’t received word of more threats from the REA, but this was the sort of night the ecoterrorists liked. A plan was already in place. If another arson fire was set in the hills, SWAT members would go to the scene immediately — to keep order, aid in the evacuation, and help pursue the suspects.
Clay was already at the closet, pulling his uniform off the hanger and slipping into the olive green shirt.
“Where is it?” Jamie couldn’t shake the cold feeling surrounding her. The wind was warm, and even at this hour she doubted the temperature had dipped below eighty degrees. Even so she felt a chill in the room, and she pulled the down comforter up around her shoulders. “Oak Canyon Estates.” He slipped on his uniform pants and gave her a knowing look. “The place Alex warned us about.”
“It’s close. A couple of SWAT guys live a few miles from there, right?”
“Right. We might have a chance to catch them. There’s no sign of fire yet. The call came from a woman who works at the estates. She was in the office late when she heard gunshots and saw a car speed up and head for the north end of the development. She called us again when she smelled kerosene.”
Jamie’s head began to spin. “A woman?” She was more awake now than before, as suddenly the details lined up and she gasped. “Clay, that’s where she works!”
The Tuesday Morning Collection Page 88
